Status of Secondary Education in Bihar: An Overview

According to the Indian constitution, one of the fundamental rights is the right to education, and secondary education is an important sub-sector of the entire education system because it shapes and directs the child toward a bright future. Bihar has historically been a major centre of learning and is home to one of the oldest universities in the country, but the state\u27s modern education system paints a different picture. Bihar has the lowest literacy rate in the country, at 61.80%, according to the latest census data. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the state of secondary education in Bihar. This research is based on content analysis, which includes newspaper articles, articles from reputable sites such as CENSUS, U-DISE, NUEPA, and NCERT, and reports from reputable sites such as CENSUS, U-DISE, NUEPA, and NCERT, among others. The data shows Bihar\u27s vulnerability in achieving secondary education after analyzing several reports and articles. According to NUEPA statistics for 2014-15, Bihar\u27s net enrolment ratio in secondary education fell to 42.08 percent, compared to 93.77 percent in primary education. Although the Bihar government has made significant efforts at the secondary level, such as making text books available to all secondary students at a low cost through BSTPC and introducing several schemes such as Bihar Shatabdi Mukhyamantri Balika Poshak Yojna, Mukhyamantri Bicycle Yojna, and Shaikshnik Paribhraman Yojna, the overall transition rate from elementary to secondary education remains at 84.64 percent. The study of secondary education in Bihar highlighted the major issues that require immediate attention and action in order to ensure that high-quality education is maintained

Reconstructing communities in cluster trials?

BACKGROUND: There is growing interest in the ethics of cluster trials, but no literature on the uncertainties in defining communities in relation to the scientific notion of the cluster in collaborative biomedical research. METHODS: The views of participants in a community-based cluster randomised trial (CRT) in Mumbai, India, were solicited regarding their understanding and views on community. We conducted two focus group discussions with local residents and 20 semi-structured interviews with different respondent groups. On average, ten participants took part in each focus group, most of them women aged 18-55. We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten residents (nine women and one man) lasting approximately an hour each and seven individuals (five men and two women) identified by residents as local leaders or decision-makers. In addition, we interviewed two Municipal Corporators (locally elected government officials involved in urban planning and development) and one representative of a political party located in a slum community. RESULTS: Residents' sense of community largely matched the scientific notion of the cluster, defined by the investigators as a geographic area, but their perceived needs were not entirely met by the trial. CONCLUSION: We examined whether the possibility of a conceptual mismatch between 'clusters' and 'communities' is likely to have methodological implications for a study or to lead to potential social disharmony because of the research interventions, arguing that it is important to take social factors into account as well as statistical efficiency when choosing the size and type of clusters and designing a trial. One method of informing such a design would be to use existing forums for community engagement to explore individuals' primary sense of community or social group and, where possible, to fit clusters around them. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Register: ISRCTN56183183 Clinical Trials Registry of India: CTRI/2012/09/003004

Intimate partner violence against women during and after pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in Mumbai slums

"Intimate partner violence against women during maternity was unacceptably common in Mumbai’s slums. One in seven women suffered violence during or shortly after pregnancy. IPV begins in a culture that condones it – indeed, justifies it - and is abetted by poverty and alcohol use. The elements of the violent milieu are mutually reinforcing and need to be taken into account collectively in responding to both individual cases and framing public health initiatives.

A micro-econometric analysis of alcohol prohibition in India.

This thesis contributes to the understanding of alcohol prohibition by examining the causes and effects of prohibition policy in Indian states over 1957-2001. Chapter 2 examines the political economy of prohibition by using a state-level dataset to estimate the determinants of prohibition legislation. The analysis finds prohibition to be associated with the electoral cycle, legislature identity, lower relative strength of the alcohol industry, and the composition of state finances - in particular the share of central union excise. Chapter 3 focuses on the impact of prohibition on alcohol consumption using a series of cross sections of the National Sample Survey. Unit value analysis is conducted to estimate the impact on prices by alcohol group and uncover the demand and supply dynamics in the market. The relationship between alcohol, tobacco, and pan is examined using prohibition as an exogenous instrument, and the spill-over effects of policy on the demand for these goods are calculated. Prohibition is estimated to decrease alcohol participation by 26% with the effect varying by alcohol type and extent of prohibition. While both supply and demand shifts drive the decrease in consumption, the evidence suggests the deterrent effect of prohibition is significant. Tobacco and pan are found to be complements to alcohol and prohibition is associated with a fall in their demand. Chapter 4 focuses on the impact of prohibition on intrahousehold resource allocation by estimating Engel curves for broad categories of expenditure. The results indicate prohibition increased outlays for food and fuel with the magnitude of change being consistent with the reduction in alcohol estimated. The negative private and social effects of alcohol use are also examined. Prohibition led to a decrease in spurious liquor consumption and incidence of burglaries. However, it is associated with an increase in liver disease deaths and homicide rates

Nutritional status of young children in Mumbai slums: a follow-up anthropometric study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic childhood malnutrition remains common in India. As part of an initiative to improve maternal and child health in urban slums, we collected anthropometric data from a sample of children followed up from birth. We described the proportions of underweight, stunting, and wasting in young children, and examined their relationships with age.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used two linked datasets: one based on institutional birth weight records for 17 318 infants, collected prospectively, and one based on follow-up of a subsample of 1941 children under five, collected in early 2010.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean birth weight was 2736 g (SD 530 g), with a low birth weight (<2500 g) proportion of 22%. 21% of infants had low weight for age standard deviation (z) scores at birth (<−2 SD). At follow-up, 35% of young children had low weight for age, 17% low weight for height, and 47% low height for age. Downward change in weight for age was greater in children who had been born with higher z scores.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Our data support the idea that much of growth faltering was explained by faltering in height for age, rather than by wasting. Stunting appeared to be established early and the subsequent decline in height for age was limited. Our findings suggest a focus on a younger age-group than the children over the age of three who are prioritized by existing support systems.</p> <p>Funding</p> <p>The trial during which the birth weight data were collected was funded by the ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth (Centre for Child Health and Nutrition), and The Wellcome Trust (081052/Z/06/Z). Subsequent collection, analysis and development of the manuscript was funded by a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award: Population Science of Maternal and Child Survival (085417ma/Z/08/Z). D Osrin is funded by The Wellcome Trust (091561/Z/10/Z).</p